I remember reading a cookbook in my mothers collection about high heat roasting, so I asked if I could borrow it, but she said take it. I have re-read it extensively over the weekend. It is called "Roasting-A simple art" by Barbara Kafka.

Every recipe starts at 500, but I am sure that if I could talk to her personally, and tell her of our unique ovens, (not a crappy electric interior oven) that she would say 550, o that is even better.

Like, she says roasted chicken is heaven, cook two, not just one. Her roasted pork loin recipes sound so good. A so called green ham (raw, not smoked or cooked in any way) is supposed to be great at high heat, as well as lamb.

I am on my way to buy a bunch of meats at sam's right now, as family will start arriving for the holidays on 12/23, and I plan on feeding them well. Pizza for lunch and on the cool down, the dinners, then more "kiln dried" wood for the next fire

Also, it occurs to me that it takes some effort to go from 500 to 725, but if the goal is say 525, it is probably a piece of cake to just get to 525.

This is the first of the recipes from her book (at least the one she recommends to start with, for ease of cooking and the glory it will bring from your audience)

This is the largest jelly roll pan I have. I got it at a garage sale, brand new, but could never use it, as it is way too large for my inside oven. On the other hand, it works like a charm in the brick oven. The author seems to feel that the vegies and taters shouldn't touch each other or be too crowded.

This is a V rack with 2 chickens, dry rubbed, slightly oiled, cavity dry rubbed, with lemon and lemon peel inside the cavities. The quartered potatoes are slightly oiled and cracked pepper/kosher salt, then during cooking turned once in a while in the chicken fat that drips down. Oven was around 525, but that was iffy. places showed 430, and other places nearer the fire was 585.

Naturally, the chicken, potatoes, onions and even the winter squash thingy my wife put in there was delicious.

I just purchased a 14.82 lb brisket (corned beef is brisket soaked in salt) but this is a brisket. Also, she says roast stew beef before bringing it inside to finish/make the stew. She says way better, so I am going to try those next.

that idea of heat saturation is interesting. As an analysis of this meal, I would say that the oven was not fully saturated with heat and the chickens could have been better, and I am certain that when I cook them again, they will be better. I guess I thought that I could cheap out on the logs, use less of them.

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